Bottle washing and conveying mechanism



June 16, 1936. R, J WYNNE BOTTLE WASHING AND CONVEYING MECHANISM FiledSept. 27, 1933 3Sheets-Sheet 1- k3 XZfarrze June 16, 1936. R. J. WYNNE2,044,041

' BOTTLE WASHING AND CONVEYING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 27, 1935 r sSheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 16, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE BOTTLEWASHING AND CONVEYING MECHANISM Robert J. Wynne, Bellwood, Ill.,assignor to Irving D. Porter, River Forest, Ill.

Application September 27, 1933, Serial No. 691,122

5 Claims.

My invention relates to bottle washing and conveying mechanism, and anobject of the invention is the provision of mechanism of the characterdescribed which may be used in conjunction with a bottle washer having asoaking tank, sterilizing apparatus, or other means for cleansing thebottles, and also having a conveyor for conveying the bottles throughthe various treatments in the cleansing operations. Another object isthe provision of mechanism which may be placed at the bottle receivingend of the type of bottle washer shown and is adapted to give thebottles a thorough brushing before they are introduced into thereceiving end of the machine to be carried by conveyor mechanism throughthe various cleansing treatments of the washing machine proper.

Heretofore it has been customary in bottle Washing machines to providebrushing mechanism within the main machine proper, and most customarilyafter the bottle has traveled through the soaking and sterilizing tank.Because of this arrangement bottles have frequently been contaminated byforeign matter collected by the brushes, and oftentimes the subsequentrinses have not proved eflicient in removing this source of trouble. Inwashing bottles having paper labels pasted thereon there has always beendifiiculty in removing the freed labels from the interior of the soakingtank, and frequently these labels cause the drains to becofne cloggedand thus seriously interrupt the operation of the entire machine. Againit has been found that the labels are sometimes retained by the bottlesuntil they reach the brushing mechanism, and they of course becomeentangled in the bristles of the brushes and seriously decrease theefiiciency of the machine.

I propose to obviate most of these difficulties by placing the brushingmechanism outside of the main machine proper so that the bottles whichrequire brushing may receive it before they enter the soaking andsterilizing tank. In the present known brushing types of machines everybottle entering the main machine proper receives a brushing operation,even though many of them require no such operation. With my machine theattendant inspects the bottles prior to their introduction into themachine, and if they do not require brushing they are placed on thefeeding conveyor and passed to the machine immediately. As the attendantfinds bottles which require brushing, they may be introduced into mybrushing mechanism and brushed until they are entirely clean. Because ofthis type operation it can be seen that the brushing period may beprolonged for a sufiicient period to produce a satisfactory result,whereas in the present known type of machine each bottle receives thesame period of brushing, and if it is not clean when it is deliveredfrom the machine, it is necessary to return it into the main machineproper, and thus a considerable amount of time is wasted.

Another advantage flows from the pre-brushing of the bottles, in thatthe soda solution contained in the soaking tank remains clean for alonger period or time because the bulk of the foreign matter comes fromthe extremely dirty bottles which require a considerable amount ofbrushing. The tank for my brushing mechanism may be of relatively smalldimensions, and the solution may be replenished .at frequent intervalsto insure good washing results; replacement of the soda solution in thesoaking tank of the present known type of machine is an expensiveoperation because of the expense of cleaning soda and the necessary lossof time.

In the present known type of brushing mechanism the bristles frequentlybecome loosened and adhere to the bottles. If they are removed withoutre-sterilizing them there is a considerable opportunity forcontamination, and if they are not removed they will of course cause theoutput of a very disagreeable product. My new type brush does not employbristles or other parts which become easily loosened, and consequentlythe above difliculties are entirely eliminated.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of my entire mechanism having. mybrushing and conveying mechanism arranged at the receiving end of thebottle washing machine proper;

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the connecting rod. which operates theconveying mechanism at the receiving end in conjunction with the mainconveyor system of the bottle washer;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the actuating dog member operativelyconnected with the connecting rod shown in Fig. 2-;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of my brushing and conveyingmechanism at the receiving end of the bottle washer;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig.5 but with the bottle carrier shown in brushing position;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 1-1 of Fig.6;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 8-8 of Fig.'7;

Fig. 9 is a detail view of my brush and attaching means; and

Fig. 10 is a sectional View, taken substantially on the line IO-IU ofFig. 9.

The bottle washing machine shown is generally indicated at l l andcomprises a soaking tank I2, cleansing spraying system indicatedgenerally at l3, conveyor mechanism including chain l4, sprockets l5,guide and supporting rails I6, motor l7, and gear reduction box andshafts indicated generally at l8, which transmit power to main shaft I9. Crank 29 is keyed to shaft l9 and transmits power through connectingrod 2| to bell crank 22 which is secured to rock shaft 23. Interiorly ofthe machine a connecting rod 24 is keyed to rock shaft 23 and isprovided at its opposite end with a stud pin 25 which supports aconveyor advancing member 26. To the other leg of bell crank 22 aconnecting rod 21, which is shown in detail in Fig. 2, is pivotallyconnected. and is the rod from which power is taken for my feedingconveyor mechanism, generally indicated at 28.

A brushing tank 29 is located at the receiving end 30 of bottle washingmachine H, and secured thereto by attaching plates 3! which may bewelded to said brushing tank 29 and receiving end 30 of the bottlewashing machine. The other end of brushing tank 29 may be supported byan adjustable leg 32. The bottom wall of tank 29 may be provided with anoutlet 33 and valve 34.

Interiorly of tank 29, and placed on opposite longitudinal side wallsthereof, may be arranged a pair of channel-like trackways 35, each ofsaid pair of trackways extending in a generally longitudinal directionand arranged at the same angle of inclination throughout their entirelengths. Adjacent the rear ends of trackways 35 they are inclinedupwardly and thence horizontally. In each of trackways 35 may bearranged a pair of rollers 36, each of which receives a horizontallyextending shaft 31 which extends inwardly of the tank 29 and is receivedby bearing 38 which is secured to the side wall 39 of a U-shapedchannel-like bottle carriage 40. Side walls 39 are of courseapproapriately apertured to receive shafts 31 and be supported by saidshafts. Carriage 40 may comprise the aforementioned side walls 39 havinglaterally extending flanges 4!, and base member 42 having a verticallyextending rear wall 43 may be bolted or welded to said flanges 4|; Basemember 42 may be provided with narrow and elongated slots 44 whichextend longitudinally of said carriage 4B, and are parallel with eachother. Each of said slots 40 may receive an elongated tongue-like lug 45which is carried by a bottle supporting block 45. Lugs 45 may be held inslots 44 by means of bolts 47 and nuts 48 which clampingly retain stopplates 49 across slots 44. The upper rear edge 58 of block 46. may beinclined downwardly and its sides may be provided with bottle clampingmeans 51 which may be secured by bolts 52. Side walls 39 may carryupwardly and inwardly extending L- shaped. lugs 53, to which may bebolted spring supporting plates 54, the ends of which carry springsupporting eyes 55.

Eyes 55 receive the ends of coil springs 55, the other ends of which arereceived in supporting eyes 51 attached to cables 58. Cables 58 extendupwardly and rearwardly substantially parallel with the side walls. oftank 29 and are passed around drums 59 a number of times to eliminateslipping. Drums 59 are keyed to a horizontal transversely extendingshaft 68, the ends of which extend through the end walls of an invertedU- shaped guard cover SI, and clamping collars 62 retain shaft 59 inplace. One end of shaft may carry a crank arm 63 with a handle 64, andthe crank may be keyed to shaft 68 so as to cause the rotation thereof.From drum 59 cables 58 proceed forwardly and downwardly throughperipheral grooves in rollers 65, and thence to laterally extending lugs65 upon which the ends of said cables 58 are anchored. Lugs 66 extendinwardly from the side walls 39 of bottle carriage 4E! and are locatedbelow and forwardly of L-shaped lugs 53. Rollers 55 are supported bylaterally extending shafts 67 which are supported on the upper flange ofchannel trackways 35 by bearing brackets 68.

The front wall 69 of tank 29 is apertured to receive and support aplurality of horizontally extending brush spindles H1 in bearings H.Spindles 19 extend horizontally from bearings 'H toward the rear of tank29 through bearings 72 which are supported by horizontal transverselyextending bearing supporting member 73 which is supported on the sidewalls of tank 29 at points between the inwardly extending flanges ofchannel trackways 35. Collars prevent the rearward movement of spindlesl0, and collars 75 prevent their forward movement. Referring to Figs. 9and 10, the rearward ends of spindles T9 are provided withlongitudinally extending open bores 16, the ends of which carry bayonetslots Ti. Bores i9 receive reduced ends ?8 of brush supporting rods 19,and lugs project laterally in substantially the same plane from reducedportions 18 for cooperation with bayonet slots 17. Pins 8| retaincompression springs 82, which carry discs 83 and tend to force reducedportions 78 outwardly of bores 76. Bayonet slots 76 extendlongitudinally of spindles Ill for some distance, then turn transverselyand extend toward the end of the spindles, and since the spindles areturning in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 10, it canreadily be seen that lugs 86 will be forced at all times toward theshort sides of slots TI. Since springs 82 force the brush supportingrods 79 outwardly, there will be no likelihood that the brush supportingrods will come out of the spindles.

Brush supporting rods 79 are cut away for approximately half theirdiameter to allow for the attachment of brush bodies 84 which may bemade of sponge rubber and have extending ends 85 for the purpose ofreaching the lower outlying extremities of the interiors of bottles. Aclamping plate 86 may be held in place on brushes 84 by screws 81.

The forward ends of spindles 10, which extend outside the front wall oftank 29, carry pulleys 88. From an inspection of Fig. 8 it can be seenthat the pair of spindles to the left in this figure are somewhat longerthan the spindles to the right, so that pulleys 89 may receive a belt 99which passes over pulley 9! keyed to shaft 92 of motor 93. A pulley 94is likewise keyed to shaft 92 and receives a belt 95 for cooperationwith pulleys 88 which are shown clearly in Fig. 8. Motor 93 turns in thedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 7, and imparts motion topulleys 88 and 89 in the same direction. Motor 93 is supported by adepending supporting strap 96 which is secured to the bottom wall oftank 29.

The bottle conveyor mechanism, generally in dicated at 28, comprises abelt 91 made up of transversely extending links and which is providedwith projecting T irons 98 in spaced relation to each other around theentire length of belt 91. The ends of T irons 98 on one side of theconveyor belt are cut and bent rearwardly, as shown particularly inFigs. 3 and 5, and provide convenient advancing lugs 99. Belt 91 issecured to conveyor chain I00, which rides on sprockets I9! and I02.Sprockets IOI receive a transversely extending shaft I03, the ends ofwhich extend through and are received by conveyor supporting frame sidemembers I04 of conveyor supporting frame I05. Conveyor frame supportingarms I06 are secured to side frame members I04,

' and. extend rearwardly toward the end of tank 29 and are supported bythe upper rear wall thereof. Side frame members I04 are provided withinwardly extending conveyor chain supporting flanges I01. Sprockets I02receive the chain I00 at the forward end of the conveyor, andtransversely extending shaft I08 passes through side supporting framemembers I04, and thence through the side walls of tank 29, where theends of said shaft are received by bearings I09. The shaft I08 supportsthe front end of the conveyor frame, and the rearwardly extending armsI06 support the rear end, as has been described above. Collars IIO areplaced inwardly of sprockets I02 and prevent inward movement of saidsprockets. Bearings III in side supporting frame members I04 providesuitable supporting and antifriction surfaces, and collars I I2 aidinpreventing longitudinal movement of shaft I08.

Shaft I08 pivotally supports a crank arm II3.

The upper end of crank arm I I3 receives a transverse shaft II 4, theinner end of which carries a pivotally mounted dog II5, shown in detailin Fig. 3, which abuts against advancing lugs 99 to cause the rotationof conveyor chain I00. The outer end of shaft I I4 receives theconnecting rod 21, heretofore described, the other end of which ispivotally connected to the rear leg of bell crank 22, shown in Fig. 1.Fig. 2 illustrates connecting rod 21 in detail. Rod 21 comprises a pairof telescoping members H6 and 1. Member I I! is provided with alongitudinal bore for the reception of member II6 which carries a stoppin H8 for movement in slot II9 of member I IT. A compression spring Iis received in the longitudinal bore of member II! and abuts against theforward end of member I I6 in order to provide lost motion for the crankarm I I3. A stop pin I2I limits the rearward movement of crank arm I I3.

Bottle chutes I22 .are secured to the front end of brushing tank 29 byangle irons I23. To the adjacent transverse vertical wall of soakingtank I2 are secured hinged chute portions I24 for the purpose ofdelivering bottles to individual bottle pockets I25. Depending swingingcushion plates I26 are supported by brackets I2'I secured to the frontend of the bottle washing machine II, and serve to retard the descendingof bottles as they tip from conveyor belt 91. The hinged portions I24 ofchute members I22 have secured to them rearwardly extendingcounterweight supporting brackets I28, and these brackets carrycounterweights I29 whose downward movements are limited by adjustablestop members I30 carried by angle iron I3I secured to the front wall oftank 29. It can be seen that the hinged arrangement of the forward endof chutes I22 will permit said ends to be forced downwardly by bottlesprotrud ing from pockets I25 in case they do not enter said pockets tothe full extent; the counterweights I29"wi1lserve to returnthe portionsI24 to the position shown in Fig. 4 as soon as the conveyor chaincarrying thepockets I25 has moved in the direction indicated by thearrow in Fig. 4. A series of longitudinally extending bottle guide rodsI32, secured to a cross member I33 and the side frame members I04, serveto guide the bottles to chutes I22.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

If the attendant deems it advisable to brush the bottles, they areplaced in carriage 40 and held in'plac'e by clamps 5 I. The bottles willthen be in theposition'indicated in'Fig. 4. A switch is then closed tosend an electric current to motor 93 for the purpose of operating thebrush spindles heretofore'described. It is to be understood that motor93 may be in constant operation, since .the bottles may be pushed ontothe brushes and removed therefrom without any stopping of the motor.When the bottles have been placed in f the bottle throughout most of itssurface so that during the brushing operation the bottle issubstantially filled with water. When the attendant is of the opinionthat he has permitted them to be brushed for a sufficient length of timethe crank 63 may be turned in a clockwise direction so as to causecables 58 to draw the carriage away from the position shown in Fig. 6.The coil springs 56 are adapted to provide a cushion for the forceapplied to the crank arm 63, and

they also act to take up the slack in the cables necessitated by thedownwardly inclined trackways. It can be seen that if the bottlesupporting blocks 46 were permitted to remain too far forwardly in thecarriage, the force of the brush against the bottle neck would force thebottle to the rear of the carriage so that its bottom would rest on rearwall 43 of the carriage, and would thus provide a secure abutment forthe bottles. When the bottles are retracted from the brushes the motionof the brushes continues and would of course splash water outwardly fromthe tank if some provision were not made for discontinuance. During thisinterval the feeding conveyor mechanism including belt 91 are directlyabove the brush spindles as indicated clearly in Fig. '7, and preventthe egress of water from the tank in a directly perpendicular direction.In addition to this provision, however, and in order to eliminate anypossibility that water might be thrown from the tank, a pair oflaterally extending plates I34 may be secured to the interior walls oftank 29 so as to extend inwardly to a point adjacent the conveyor frame,and thus cooperate with the conveyor belt to prevent splashing.

After the bottles have been brushed sufficiently and have been returnedon inclined trackways 35 so as to drain the water from them, theattendant may inspect them in the position shown in Fig. 5. If they aresatisfactorily clean, they may be placed on conveyor belt 9'! between Tirons 98 and in the space between bottle guide rods I 32. At eachactuation of bell crank 22, shown in Fig. l, the connecting rod 21 willbe drawn forwardly and Since the brushes are flexible downwardly andwill cause the dog II5 to ad- Vance the conveyor belt by means ofconveyor advancing lugs 99 a sufficient distance so that each series ofbottles lying in a transverse line such as in Fig. 5 will toppleforwardly and be received in. chutes I22. The lost motion provided forby the structure of connecting rod 21 is suflicent with other elementsto permit a series of bottle pockets I25 to receive the bottles fromchutes I22.

In case it is necessary or desirable to change the brushes or inspectthem, the conveyor frame supporting arms I06 may be raised in thedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4, and the entire conveyor willbe raised on the axis of shaft II. In order to effect the movement ofthe conveyor to the fullest extent upwardly, it is necessary for theconnecting rod 21 to be at the forward end of its travel, since if thiswere not the case the stop |2I would cause crank H3 to push rod 21forwardly and against the bell crank 22 in the position shown in Fig. 1.Since the bell crank. is at the. upward limit of its travel, the rodcould not move forwardly any farther than the distance permitted byspring I20 in the member H1. It can be seen that by raising the conveyoras above indicated, all parts in the tank 29 will be rendered accessiblefor repairs, replacement, or cleaning.

What is herein termed the main machine, and asindicated at I I in Fig.1, is shown and described with more particularity in two applicationsfor patents filed on even date herewith, one of which is entitled Bottlehandling mechanism, and given Serial No. 691,123, now matured intoPatent No. 1,988,963, and the other of which is entitled Bottle handlingmechanism, and given Serial No. 691,124, now matured into Patent No.1,981,684.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable ofvariation and modification without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of suchvariations and modifications as come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A bottle washing machine including a fluid tank and bottle conveyertherein; in combination with a preliminary cleaning device comprising asoaking tank arranged adjacent the receiving end of the first said tank,an endless conveyer arranged over said soaking tank and upon whichbottles are to be manually placed, means for.

moving said endless conveyer toward said bottle conveyer by a step bystep motion, means at the end of the conveyer for inverting the bottlesand inserting them in the bottle conveyer, and a reciprocating bottlecarrier, arranged in said soaking tank beneath said endless conveyer,bottle brushing means in the forward end of said soaking tank adapted toenter the bottles upon said reciprocating carrier when in forwardposition, there being space between the rear end of the soaking tank andthe adjacent end of the endless conveyer to permit placing bottles onand removing the same from the reciprocating carrier, substantially asdescribed.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in combination with guides for saidreciprocating carrier, said guides being shaped to submerge thereciprocating carrier and the bottles thereon when moved to brushingposition, and to elevate the same upon retraction of the carriage,substantially as described.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which said brushes are submergedin the fluid of the soaking tank, and in which the endless conveyerabove the same includes a plurality of transverse plates mounted uponendless belts and with their edges in proximity to forma shield for thesplash from said brushes, substantially as described.

4. In a bottle washing machine, a pre-cleaner comprising a soaking tank,revoluble brushes arranged in the forward end of said tank, areciprocating bottle carrier and means adapted to submerge the carrierand the bottles as they are moved toward said brushes and said brushesadapted to enter the bottles when the bottles are in forward position,means for reciprocating said carrier, a frame pivotally mounted adjacentthe forward end of said soaking tank and including a pair of sidemembers, the rear ends of which are adapted to rest upon the rear endwall of said soaking tank, and an endless conveyer mounted between saidside members and above said brushes, and including a series oftransverse plates, certain of said plates having upstanding flanges toengage the bottles resting thereon and means for moving said endlessconveyer with a step by step motion, substantially as described.

5., A device as set forth in claim 4 further characterized by apivotally mounted crank arm at the side of said conveyer, a pawl on saidcrank arm, lugs on the ends of the conveyer plates adapted to be engagedby said pawl, and means for oscillating said crank arm, substantially asdescribed.

ROBERT J. WYNNE.

